


Just a Couple of Monsters

by forkflinger



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Awkwardness, Background Unrequited Dusa/Zagreus, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Meg & Dusa are friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27093157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forkflinger/pseuds/forkflinger
Summary: Dusa knew it was dangerous to help Prince Zagreus, and she expected to meet many monsters along the way.She didn't expect to meet a friend.
Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur (Hades Video Game)/Dusa (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 92





	Just a Couple of Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't actually finished this game, but, well. Kinda blacked out and woke up with this fic.
> 
> (hey Roland if you read this this was your fault)

Giving Prince Zagreus that toy had seemed like a good idea at the time. And it had been fun! Well, maybe not fun. Different? Thrilling! Except Dusa wasn’t really sure she enjoyed it as much as that word implied. But it was… well! She said she’d help, and she would! She knew she was safe enough, anyway. Worst thing that could happen would be winding up back in the House.

Well, no, worst thing that could happen would be Nyx finding out she was helping the Prince and firing her and banning her from the house and banishing her to Erebus and living in torment for the rest of eternity. But that probably wouldn’t happen! Probably.

She was lucky that Meg hadn’t said anything, when the Prince had called on her. Meg had been focused on her battle, and barely seemed to notice the little Gorgon dropping in. Later, in the lounge, Meg had shaken her head. “No hard feelings,” she mumbled over her cup of nectar. “I get it. Hard to say no to him sometimes, isn’t it?” And Dusa, in turn, graciously never addressed the little stuffed Battie she sometimes saw poking out of his robes.

Fighting alongside Prince Zagreus was certainly a big change from dusting and tidying, but she was gratified to discover she was okay at it! On her own she wouldn’t have been much of a challenge, but she could turn enemies to stone, and that made it easy for Prince Zagreus to mow them down. Even the Hydra was no match for him. And she knew it wasn’t appropriate, but she couldn’t help a little flutter when he grinned at her and said “Thanks, Dusa,” before dashing off.

Then came the day she felt his call and arrived somewhere new. She’d never been to Elysium. For a moment, as she blinked and got her bearings, she thought that maybe he’d brought her to the surface. That was impossible, of course, but this place was so overwhelmingly beautiful that it was hard to shake the thought. Around her rose stone walls, atop which she could see masses of shades cheering and shouting. It was all so bright, and green, and _noisy_ \- ugh, why was it so _loud_? 

“Dusa!”

The call came from behind her, and she whirled around to see Prince Zagreus, leaning against a pillar and bleeding heavily. He clutched the slash across his stomach and grimaced at her. “A little help?”

“Oh! Prince! Uh - “ She acted on reflex, firing a burst of energy at something moving in the corner of her vision. It struck, and she turned to see a handsome man with a shield, frozen with a raised spear ready to throw. “Who’s - “

She shouldn’t have turned her back. There was a massive crash, and she spun around to watch in horror as the pillar fell onto Prince Zagreus, knocking him down. She gasped, about to float over, when a massive form rose out of the dust.

There were many monsters down here in the Underworld, Dusa included, so that wasn’t in itself a shock. But it was huge, bigger than Prince Zagreus, bigger than Meg or the Furies, bigger than Hades himself. It stalked toward the Prince’s prone form with footsteps that shook the whole arena, a terrifying mass of muscle topped by two wicked horns longer than Dusa’s whole body. The creature held a dual-bladed axe in both hands, raising it high above Prince Zagreus.

Dusa wasn’t fast enough. She fired again, but before her projectiles could land, the massive axe was already falling. She shrieked as it hit its mark, slicing cleanly through the Prince’s spine. There wasn’t even time for him to gurgle any final words before he vanished, whisked away once again by the bloody waters of the Styx.

Dusa could feel the tears welling up. The creature snorted, heaving its axe up onto its shoulder, and raised its steely gaze to her. There was a cold intelligence there that she hadn’t expected. A thing like that should be mindless and rampaging. Knowing that it wasn’t only made the chill of terror worse.

“Excellent work, my friend!” came a booming voice from behind her. “Now, all that’s left is to dispatch his dreadful little minion.”

Dusa spun around to see the man, now unfrozen, bronze skin restored to its regular deathly pallor. He hefted his spear. “No worries,” he said with a glimmering grin, “I’ll handle it.”

He moved, and she screamed, and the spear came at her - 

She blinked the red out of her eyes, shaking to throw the water off her as she rose from the pool of Styx.

“Here,” said a familiar voice, and something soft bumped against her. She grabbed at it with one of her snakes - that was right, the Prince had set up some towels, that was nice of him - and used it to dry her face. Then she opened her eyes properly and almost dropped it.

“Oh! Um, thanks, your highness! Uh, I mean, you don’t have to - “

Prince Zagreus waved her stammering apologies away. He was holding a towel of his own, wiping down his glimmering bare chest. “It’s no trouble, Dusa. I’m sorry to put you through that. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine! Really! You don’t have to worry about me.” She tried to smile, but there was still a shiver in her snakes.

“I’m surprised to see you coming out of there,” Prince Zagreus said. “Was it really necessary for them to hurt you when they’d already gotten me? Seems… well, unnecessary.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Dusa insisted. “I mean, I’m fine. I’m here, right? No problem!”

Prince Zagreus smiled and dropped his towel into a nearby basket - Dusa’d wash that later - before patting her on the head. “I appreciate it. I’ll let them know what I think about it next time I’m up there, though.”

Dusa was going to say something else - don’t worry, your highness, it’s fine, it’s not like it happened to somebody important - but Hypnos caught their attention, waving them over.

“Welcome back!” he said as Zagreus approached, Dusa floating at his shoulder. “Asterius got you again, huh?”

Dusa tilted her head. “Asterius?”

“The Bull of Minos,” Zagreus explained. “The big guy with the axe.”

“Yeah!” Hypnos glanced down at his list. “Looks like Theseus got you, Dusa. Ouch! Hey, next time, try not to let him stab you.”

“Your wisdom is as helpful as ever,” Zagreus deadpanned. “Listen, I’ve gotta go deliver some fish, but I’ll catch you next time. And hey, Dusa. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, your highness!” Dusa trilled, bobbing happily as Zagreus crossed the hall. Distantly, she heard Lord Hades snort disdainfully.

“So wait,” said Hypnos; Dusa tuned out the brief but inevitable argument between Lord Hades and Prince Zagreus. “Did you fight Asterius? Wow! I wouldn’t have thought you had it in you!”

“I was just helping the Prince,” Dusa muttered. “Um, who’s Asterius?”

“Who’s Asterius? Who’s Asterius?” Hypnos scoffed. “Only the greatest champion Elysium’s ever known! The Bull of Minos! Look, Zag got me his autograph!” He pointed behind him, where a small scrap of paper was tacked to the wall.

“Oh,” said Dusa, peering at it. “That’s nice of him.”

“Isn’t it great?” Hypnos sighed dreamily. “I’d love to meet him some day.”

“The bull?” Dusa frowned. “He was kinda, um… scary.”

“Well, you’re tiny! Lots of things are scary to you.”

Dusa frowned. Hypnos was right, but she didn’t have to be happy about it. “Okay, right, well… I gotta get back to work. Bye!” She floated away quickly, up to the rafters where it was just her and a few small, lost shades. She put her mind back to her work, and soon forgot about the terrifying large beast. Or, tried to. She couldn’t help but be a little relieved when she saw that next time he slipped out, the Prince was carrying Meg’s bat instead.

* * *

It was a while before Prince Zagreus summoned her again, and by then she was much more confident. She helped him dispatch hissing Tisiphone and the hissing Hydra and wondered if there was a theme here. The next time he called her, she arrived in that arena once again. This time, the Prince was in much better shape, standing strong and holding the magnificent golden bow Coronacht.

“Hello, Dusa,” he said as she arrived. “Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could lend me a hand?”

“Of course, your highness!” She puffed herself up as big as she could.

Their opponents stood side by side across from them, the handsome man - Theseus, Hypnos had called him? - and the massive bull.

“Hah!” Theseus brandished his spear. “The coward is afraid to face us alone, Asterius!”

“Now hang on,” said Prince Zagreus, “how is me bringing Dusa along any different from you bringing Asterius?”

“Because Asterius and I have a bond forged in battle! Something a demon like you could never understand.”

Prince Zagreus shook his head. “Well, I actually brought Dusa along because I think you owe her an apology - but I’m sure she wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to help me defeat you. Isn’t that right, Dusa?”

“You got it!” Dusa bobbed merrily and tried to look fierce. It might not have been very successful, because the Bull leveled his gaze against her, absolutely unconcerned.

Theseus lowered his spear. “Have at thee!”

The battle was fast, with Prince Zagreus dodging to the edges of the arena, drawing his bow and firing before darting away from the charging bull. Dusa, for her part, stayed largely out of the thick of it, aiming her paralyzing bolts at their enemies. Several times, she stopped the bull in his tracks just in time for Zagreus to roll away. The most satisfying moment was when she froze the boisterous man, making a perfect target for Zagreus to take aim and fire an arrow clean through his head. The man collapsed, crumbling from stone into a puddle of blood. He wouldn’t go all the way to the House, but it would take some time for him to get back on his feet.

There was still the bull, though, and he didn’t show any signs of stopping just because his friend was dead. Instead he lowered his head, snorting, and charged straight at the Prince again. Dusa gasped and watched, wide-eyed, as the Prince leveled his bow and loosed another arrow. This one struck the bull in the shoulder, causing him to stumble. He fell to his knees, panting, and Dusa realized with a shock how much blood he’d lost.

“Well-fought,” he choked out.

Prince Zagreus sighed, relaxing his stance. “And you,” he said, Coronacht vanishing with a flash. “See you next time.”

The bull snorted. The waters of Styx were rising around him. Before he vanished, however, he once again met Dusa’s gaze, and she found herself unable to look away. Even when he sank into the ground, she stared at the ground where he’d disappeared.

The shades around them were cheering. Zagreus blew a kiss to one - was that a banner with the prince’s face? - before turning back to Dusa. “Thanks,” he said. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all, your highness!” she chirped. “I’m happy to help! Um, they’re going to be okay, right?”

“Oh, yes, Theseus will be back to boast about how great he is shortly.”

Dusa’s snakes squirmed. “And the other one?”

“Asterius?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Won’t be far behind.”

“That’s good. I guess. I mean, that they’re okay! It must be hard to be mortal. Imagine if people went away when they died!”

Prince Zagreus laughed. “Yes, that seems to be the main concern.” He took a breath, brushing dust off his tunic. “I’d best be getting along. I’m almost at the surface.”

“Don’t be too hard on Cerberus, okay?”

“Cerberus? No, he’s not - “ The Prince stopped himself mid-sentence. “Anyway. You’d best be getting back to the house.”

“Of course. Right away. Good luck, Prince!”

He flashed her another smile before running off through the massive door at the far end of the arena. It slammed behind him, leaving her alone (except for the audience of shades, who she kept forgetting were there, and that red one kept looking at her and she wished it would stop). She floated up over the wall and away.

* * *

The next time Zagreus called her to the arena, he was once again in dire straits. King Theseus was standing back, hiding behind his shield, but the bull was in full fighting form, axe held high. Dusa managed to stop him long enough for Prince Zagreus to catch his breath and step out of range, or so she thought, but when the bull broke free he cleared half the arena in one mighty leap and took down the Prince with a blow so fierce she worried he’d been broken in two. She winced at his cry of pain before the waters of the Styx rose under his feet and pulled him away.

Then, again, she was alone with King Theseus and the bull.

“Well done again!” Theseus shouted, and Dusa backed away, eyes wide. “Even with his tricks that demon is no match for the two of us!”

Dusa trembled as Theseus hefted his spear. “Please, wait - “

“King.” The bull’s voice was deep, with a rumble like an earthquake. “The battle is won.”

“Ah, but our foe still stands! Er, floats.”

The bull took a step forward, and Dusa could see him more clearly now. He was perhaps less monsterous than she’d assumed. His body was that of a man, albeit a massive one, and with more fur than she thought most humans had. “Do not trouble yourself with such a small creature,” he said. “Are you not known for your mercy as well as your might?”

Theseus hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. “Quite right, my friend!” he declared, slamming the butt of his spear into the ground. “You, tiny demon. Let it be known that you live by the mercy of King Theseus!”

“T-thank you, um, your - your highness?” Bleh, she did not like calling him that. “I really appreciate you not killing me. It’s not nice! To die, I mean. I guess you know that?”

The bull looked down at her and snorted, and she could feel his hot breath on her face. “Go.”

“Yes! Right away! Thanks! Okay, bye!” Dusa floated away as fast as she could, before Theseus could change his mind.

When she made her way down to the House, the Prince was there already, chatting with Hypnos. “Ah, Dusa,” he said as she descended into the hall. “Glad to see they didn’t kill you this time.”

“Yes, that’s - I’m happy about that! I mean, not happy, I’m sorry they killed you, but it’s nice that they - well, it was the bull, really, I think King Theseus wanted to kill me but the bull convinced him not to? So that was nice.”

“Asterius?” Hypnos’s eyes lit up like stars blooming in them. “You got to meet him again? Say, Zag, why don’t you ever call me into one of these fights?”

“It’s not as fun as it sounds,” Prince Zagreus answered. “You’d just fall asleep anyway.”

“That’s not true! I’m sure I could, uh, do something.”

Prince Zagreus glanced at Dusa with a raised eyebrow and she tried not to giggle. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

* * *

The Prince didn’t call her for a while, which was good; it gave her a chance to catch up on her work around the house. There was always more of it, and she couldn’t spend all her time gallivanting around with the Prince. When next he called her to the arena, though, she went without hesitation - because of course she did!

This time, King Theseus was nowhere to be found, but his shield lay discarded and smeared with blood under a collapsed pillar. Prince Zagreus and the bull were both heaving with exertion, and bleeding heavily. Dusa raced towards them, but it seemed that she’d been called at the end of the battle - before she could even try to fire, the bull threw the Prince to the ground and, roaring, gored him on his horns. The Prince wheezed, dropped his sword, and disappeared.

The bull staggered back, panting, before lifting his axe high and roaring. The crowd roared back even as he collapsed in exhaustion, leaning heavily on his axe and limping to take a seat on a collapsed pillar. Dusa wasn’t even sure he’d noticed her until he cracked a swollen eye, staring straight at her.

“A little too late,” he mumbled, and even quiet his voice resonated.

“I guess so,” she answered, bobbing slightly. “Um… are you all right?”

He opened his other eye, tilting his head curiously. “I will recover,” he answered. “I am victorious this day. I have defeated your Prince.”

“Yeah, that’s - that’s too bad. For Prince Zagreus, I mean. Um.” She cleared her throat. “Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way.”

The bull made a deep, rumbling sound - was that a laugh? “Most of the Prince’s companions are a bit more menacing than you, little Gorgon,” he said.

Dusa puffed up. “I can be menacing!” she said, her snakes rearing up.

The bull chuckled again. “I did not mean to suggest otherwise. My apologies.” He snorted, climbing shakily to his feet. “I am Asterius.”

Dusa’s snakes fell back down. “Oh! Uh. Hi! My name’s Dusa. I work in the House. You know. Cleaning and stuff.”

Asterius lifted an eyebrow. “And yet you find yourself in Elysium’s arenas.”

“Well, the Prince needs help! I guess. I mean, maybe he doesn’t need _my_ help, probably, but I want to help if I can, you know? And - and I’m not much help when all I can do is dusting.”

Asterius nodded seriously. She’d almost prefer if he was laughing at her. “It is an important job, to keep a sacred place clean. I am certain your prince appreciates it.”

 _Your prince_. Dusa felt her cheeks go pink. “I - I mean, I, uh - I should probably go! Bye!”

She was almost over the wall of the arena by the time she heard, behind her, “Farewell, Dusa, until we meet again.”

She was still blushing when she made it back to the house.

* * *

After that, being summoned to the arena wasn’t as scary. It was almost nice, actually. She started to figure out how to tell when a fight was going well and when it wasn’t, how to spot Theseus getting ready to throw his spear, when to move to avoid Asterius’s charges. It was almost fun. Almost.

It depended pretty heavily on who won. Obviously, she wanted the Prince to win, and it was always the best when he did. He’d thank her, and that made her all fuzzy, and then he was off to fight Lord - right, she wasn’t supposed to know who he was fighting. But he’d never call her to that fight. More and more often, it was his victory, and she would make her way back home and wait for his inevitable return.

Sometimes, however, he lost. And that, well, that could make it much less fun. She got used to watching her prince die pretty quickly, although it was still always a teeny bit, um, terrible. But then she was left in the arena with Theseus, Asterius, or both. Between the three options, she definitely had a preference.

She quickly grew to appreciate why losing to Theseus bothered Prince Zagreus so particularly. And he couldn’t even hear the grandiose victory speeches he gave! Often while pointing a spear at her head. She was lucky when Asterius was there to gently step in and push it aside.

And then, sometimes, it was Asterius alone who survived.

He didn’t turn his weapon on her, or call her a demon. Instead, she watched as the thrill of battle left him. It was fascinating, to see this monster of bloodlust and rage just deflate, sitting quietly in the debris while a crowd cheered around him. He never seemed to hear them. He would simply sit.

Dusa could never resist saying _something_.

“So, um.” She hovered in front of him, looking around the ruined arena. “Who cleans this place?”

Asterius snorted. “I do not know. It restores itself.”

“Wow. That’s convenient! Wish the House would do that.”

“Is the house often in a state of disrepair?”

“Of course not! But it’s a big place and it takes a lot of cleaning. There’s all sorts of little nooks and crannies that need dusting, and the floor by the pool has to get mopped constantly, and the towels have to get washed, and - well, there’s a lot that goes into cleaning! It’s a big job!”

“I am certain it is.” Asterius looked around. “I do not mean to disparage your abilities. I do not know what it is to clean and maintain a grand house. I have never known a place larger than this arena.”

“What, never? Not even when you were alive?”

“When I was alive, from birth, I dwelled solely in a dark, cramped labyrinth, with scarcely enough room to stand to my full height. I died there as well.”

“Oh. Um. Wow.” Dusa pursed her lips. “That’s - that sounds tough. I mean, that’s just - well that doesn’t sound like a nice way to live! Why didn’t you leave?”

“I was a prisoner, little one.” Asterius stared down at the thin grass. “And now I am here.”

“Well. I guess it’s nicer than that labyrinth, right?”

“That it is.”

“And, um. I-If you ever need someone to help you clean, or something? You can just let me know and I’ll - if I have time, I’ll come by! I mean, I’m really busy, but I’ll take a break!”

Asterius raised an eyebrow. “I do not have anything for you to clean.”

“Oh. Okay. Okay! Well. Uh… bye!” Dusa fled before she could say something else stupid.

* * *

Another time, Prince Zagreus fell, leaving her in the arena with both Theseus and Asterius. Theseus leveled his spear at her, but Asterius gently redirected his attention to the cheering shades around them, and soon Theseus was occupied by posing for his fans.

“Why do you even hang out with that guy?” Dusa asked, once the adrenaline wore off. “I mean, he’s a jerk!”

“Do not speak ill of my King,” Asterius answered, his growl threatening enough to make Dusa’s snakes curl up. “I owe him my loyalty.”

“But - “ Dusa knew the story. She’d asked Hypnos about Asterius and received an enthusiastic and comprehensive biography, delivered in short bursts between naps. She knew rather more about Asterius than he did about her. “Sorry,” she said, “I just - he hasn’t been very nice to me. Or to Prince Zagreus, for that matter.”

“Hmm.” Asterius crossed his arms, and Dusa thought that perhaps she’d offended him again. But he was gazing thoughtfully at Theseus, who was circling the arena with his spear held high. “I think that perhaps, ‘nice’ is not necessary. The debt I owe to the king is greater than the need for him to be nice.”

“So, what, if he’d gotten you out of Erebus but then turned out to be a real mean jerk, you’d still do whatever he said?”

“Loyalty is not slavery,” Asterius answered. “I choose to serve my king. I concern myself with whether I am worthy to give that service. Loyalty is not conditional on niceness. Would you serve your Prince if he were cruel?”

“I - I guess - “ Dusa frowned. “I mean, technically I work for Lady Nyx, not Prince Zagreus. Helping the Prince is part of that, but she, uh, well. It’s… it’s complicated. She doesn’t want me to hang around the Prince so much, but he keeps coming to me, and it’s not like I can just tell him to leave me alone, I mean, he’s the Prince! But Lady Nyx has talked to me about it a couple times, and I tried to do what she said, but - oh, well, look at where I wound up! Oh, she’d be so mad if she knew I was here. Does she know? Oooh.”

All this time, Asterius was watching her with a tilted head. “Your understanding of service seems quite different from my own.”

“Well it’s more complicated! You’ve just got one guy, and I’ve got a whole hierarchy! I mean, there’s Thanatos and Hypnos, and Meg is sort of on the same level as me but she’s also higher, really, and I think I outrank the chef but I’m not sure, and I don’t know where the broker fits in but sometimes I ask him to clean up his stall and he never does. I don’t know what I’d do if Lord Hades told me to do something and then Lady Nyx told me not to. Ooh, I don’t even like thinking about it!”

Asterius set a massive hand on top of her head; the weight was oddly soothing. “Serve your masters well,” he said, “and trust that they will do the same.”

“Oh. Huh. That’s… okay.” She bobbed slightly under his hand; one of her snakes sniffed at his fingers. “That’s a nice thought.” She sighed. “I just hope I can do a good job.”

“If you serve in your House with the same devotion as you serve in this arena, little Gorgon, I am certain of it.”

Dusa felt herself blushing - why did she have to blush so easily? It was so embarrassing! - and squirmed out from under his hand. “Okay, well, I - I gotta go! Bye!” She zoomed away, out over the wall of the arena, and tried not to look back.

Time was funny in the House, so she wasn’t sure if it was hours or days or months after that conversation when the Prince approached her.

“Hey, Dusa?”

She gasped, turning quickly. “I-is something the matter, Prince Zagreus?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, but I wanted to ask - I noticed it took a while for you to come back after the last time we, erm, took a walk.” He scrunched his nose. “That sounds more suggestive than I intended,” he added in a mutter. “Regardless, I just wanted to check - is everything okay? That blowhard Theseus wasn’t giving you a hard time, was he?”

“No, no, nothing like that! I was just, um… I was chatting with Asterius! Just a little.”

“Ah.” Prince Zagreus straightened his tunic. “He seems like a much more agreeable sort. Aside from killing me over and over. You’re getting along, then?”

“Erm…” Why did it sound so weird when he said it like that? “I mean he’s, he’s… he’s nice! That’s all.”

“Well. Good for you. You deserve more friends outside of here. Just let me know if either of them give you any trouble, all right?”

“Yes, sure, you got it!”

Dusa disappeared to the rafters before she could blush so hard her snakes turned pink.

* * *

Dusa was taking one of her rare breaks, meaning that Meg was taking a break and had decided she wanted Dusa’s company for it in the lounge. They both had cups of nectar in front of them, but Dusa was a little too preoccupied to actually drink hers.

“Hey, Meg?” One of Dusa’s snakes poked nervously at the cup in front of her. “Um, have you ever - does - let’s say in theory there was somebody, that you met, and - and they were nice!”

“I don’t meet a lot of nice people,” Meg replied, leaning back in her chair.

“Okay, but - but let’s say you did, and, and you really like talking to them, and you think about them a lot, and you want to talk to them more because you think they’re really interesting and smart, but - but you can’t just talk to them whenever, because of - of reasons, there’s reasons, you can only talk to them for a little bit at a time and it’s not up to you when that happens, but; um, what would you do?”

Meg stared at Dusa for a long moment. “I wouldn’t,” she answered at last.

“You - you wouldn’t what?”

“I wouldn’t any of that. Whatever you just said. If there was somebody I wanted to talk to, I’d talk to them. And if I couldn’t, I’d stop thinking about them.”

“Okay but - but what if you can’t stop thinking about them?”

“Sounds like a crush,” Meg said, swirling her chalice.

“Really?” Dusa frowned, her snakes curling in on her. She hadn’t considered that. Did she have a crush on Asterius? _Could_ she? “What should I do? I mean, what would _you_ do, in this hypothetical totally made up situation?”

“I guess that depends. On what the ‘reasons’ are. If it’s because talking to them endangers my position and everything I hold dear, I think I’d try to get over it. But that’s easier said than done, sometimes.” She sipped her nectar. “I’d have to ask myself if this person was really worth my time. Just because someone’s royalty, for example, doesn’t mean they’re worth pursuing. And I think that if trying to spend more time with this person was likely to ruin my position in the house and possibly end with me being banished to Erebus with the monsters…” Meg leveled her gaze at Dusa. “I doubt he’d be worth it. If it were me,” she added. “Hypothetically.”

“Right. Hypothetically.” Dusa swallowed; her mouth felt dry. She let a snake lap at the goblet in front of her while she furrowed her brow and stared. “Thanks. I… I think I’ve got a lot to think about.”

Meg sighed. “Always happy to talk some sense into you. That way, I won’t have to beat it into you later.”

Dusa giggled, shaking her head to clear away her thoughts.

It stuck in her mind, though. _Did_ she have a crush on Asterius? She barely knew him. Sure, he was handsome, and muscular, and kind, and intelligent, and treated her like an equal even though she didn’t deserve it, and handsome, and brave and loyal and handsome and -

Okay. Okay! Fine! She had a crush. It was silly and juvenile but she had a crush on a guy she’d only met a couple times, for a few minutes, and she barely knew him but she had a _crush_. Great! She admitted it. But - but, so what? Meg was right. She could hardly go waltzing up to Elysium whenever she pleased. And if Lady Nyx or Lord Hades found out she’d been helping Prince Zagreus, she’d be fired and thrown out. And that wasn’t worth a little crush!

So, that was that, then. It didn’t mean anything, and she didn’t have to do anything about it. Soon Prince Zagreus would make it, and be free, and he wouldn’t call on her anymore, and she could forget all about that arena and its occupants. And in the meantime she just had to keep her head down and stay focused on her work, so nothing had to change. Everything was fine, exactly as it was.

Except.

Well.

She didn’t say anything to Prince Zagreus about this plan.

Why would she? The Prince had bigger things to worry about than her problems, especially when they were so insignificant and, frankly, embarrassing. But if she didn’t tell him she was trying to avoid Asterius, then he’d have no reason to think she was. And so, again and again, he kept summoning her to that arena.

And Asterius kept. Being. There.

More and more often, the Prince won, and Dusa was guiltily grateful for it. Sure, it meant that Asterius lost, and also, died, but - but he’d be fine! And there was no time for her to talk to him and get further into trouble.

But the Prince’s luck didn’t always hold out. Which meant sometimes, when the Styx had taken him, she was left along with Asterius. On some level, she’d hoped that admitting her feelings to herself would make them easier to ignore. It did not. So she resorted to the only option she had - fleeing as fast as possible.

This strategy, however, had a limited shelf life. Because once, after she’d watched the Prince fall, Asterius stopped her with nothing but his voice:

“Why do you run from me, little Gorgon?”

Dusa was halfway out of the arena before he said it. She froze, turning slowly to face him. “I, um. I’m not, I’m not running from you, I just - I have a lot of work to do, and I gotta get back to it. So, um - “

Asterius sighed deeply. “I see. You have my apologies.”

“For what?”

“That, I do not know. Whatever it is I have done to make you leave so quickly.”

Dusa flinched, guilt striking her like a blow. “That’s not - you didn’t do anything!” she said, floating down again.

“Is that so?” Asterius regarded her with big, dark eyes. “Then I must ask again - why do you leave so quickly? I had enjoyed our conversations.”

“You had? You did? I - I didn’t, um - I mean, I did too! Enjoy them, that is. I just, I - “ Dusa rolled in the air. “I really do have a lot of work to do and I’m not even supposed to be here, I mean, if Lady Nyx found out I was helping the Prince - ! Well, it would be bad!”

“So.” Asterius snorted. “You leave because you do not have a purpose here.”

“I - I guess, yeah. I don’t - it’s not like I want to leave, or anything. But, um. Yeah. Okay.” She had to concentrate to keep her snakes from covering her face in embarrassment. “I - I really do have to go, but I don’t want you to think it’s because I don’t like you… ah! N-n-not that I like you! I don’t, well, I don’t _like_ like you, I - I have to go!”

* * *

Zagreus approached her in the East hall, still damp from the pool. “Dusa, do you ever get bored down here?

“Bored? Oh, no, Prince, I wouldn’t say so! I’ve always got something to do.”

Zagreus tilted his head thoughtfully. “They do keep you busy, don’t they.”

“I don’t mind! I like cleaning. It’s… satisfying! I’m always happy to clean.”

“Hmm. All right. Well, keep up the good work.”

* * *

“Dusa.”

Lady Nyx’s voice was unmistakable, husky and deep as the night itself, and Dusa almost dropped her duster. “Yes, ma’am!” she squeaked.

“I have a new task for you.”

“A new task? I mean, yes, of course, anything you ask!”

“I have been made aware that the arenas of Elysium are showing some signs of wear. When you have time, I would appreciate it if you could go and tend to them, as you tend to this house.”

Dusa swallowed hard. “Elysium?”

“Charon will assist you in traveling.”

“I - um. Thank you, ma’am! I’ll - I’ll get right on it!”

And so, once again, she found herself in the Elysian arena. Except this time, she was supposed to be here. And she’d brought her cleaning supplies.

The place did look a little dull. Asterius had said Elysium would repair itself, and it appeared to be true - the marble columns stood in place, and the grass grew even and unmarred. But… Dusa took an experimental swipe across one of the walls, and was rewarded with a cloud of dust so thick it made her cough. Apparently, that fancy Daedalus had designed this place to fix itself, but not to _clean_ itself, and the distinction was important. Dusa got herself a bucket and some lye and started scrubbing.

She’d been at it for, oh, a while - she lost track of time pretty easily - when she was startled by an earthquake. No, not an earthquake - just Asterius’s footsteps, rattling the arena as he approached.

“Welcome back, little Gorgon.”

“Oh! Um. Hi!” Dusa dropped the brush she’d been using to scrub the walls into the bucket, where it splashed. “Hi! How’s it going?”

“No sign of your Prince.”

“Yeah, I guess not? He was still in the House when I left. Maybe he won’t make a run for it today? I mean, everybody gets tired sometimes, right?”

“It is right for a warrior to rest.” Asterius was looking at her again, in that way that made her want to squirm and hide. “And yet you are here without him.”

“Well, um, the thing is, yeah. Yes. I am. Because, I mean, well! Just look at this!” She gestured at the wall where there was a clear distinction between the gleaming white spot where she’d scrubbed away the grime and the gray mess beyond it. “This place needs cleaning! So Lady Nyx asked me to come help.”

“More work for you?”

“Oh, I don’t mind! I like cleaning.”

“Hmm.” Wait, was he smiling? Had she seen him smile before? It was really cute. “So, you have a purpose here now.”

Dusa tilted her head curiously. “I guess? I mean, it’s just - I - wait, what are you doing?”

What he was doing appeared to be picking up the brush that she’d dropped. “Helping,” he said, approaching the wall. 

Dusa sputtered uselessly as he started to scrub, big muscles working hard. “Y-y-y-you don’t have to do that!” she finally managed to stammer. “Really, I - I can take care of it! I’m, I, you should be, uh, I don’t know, doing something you like, right? I - oh, please, stop!”

Asterius did stop, stepping back from the wall. “You were correct,” he said, examining the patch he’d been working on, now visibly lighter. “This is indeed satisfying.”

Dusa frowned. “Did I say that?”

“To someone.”

A couple things clicked. “Did - did the Prince - did you - wait.”

“I gave your Prince a token, once,” Asterius answered. “I thought it fair to ask one in return.”

“A token? The - the autograph, for Hypnos? So - wait wait wait.” It all made perfect sense, except for one thing. “Why?”

“I enjoyed our conversations.”

Dusa was all ready to swell up with outrage, but somehow, there wasn’t any. “You - did you - “

“Tell me,” Asterius said, “what other cleaning tasks need to be done?”

“Well, that’s, um - “ Dusa swiveled, surveying the arena. “Gotta scrub down all the walls and the columns, and then polish the trim? And this grass could use a little bit of care, too. I haven’t gone into the stands yet but they’ll probably need a good scrubbing too.”

Asterius nodded seriously, following her gaze. “Well then. I would be honored if you would allow me to assist you in this.”

Dusa shook her head, snakes wriggling. Was she supposed to be mad? She’d lost track. It was - this was - she had a job to do. And - and if there was someone who wanted to help, that was okay, wasn’t it? That was fine. And if it just happened to be someone who she wanted to have around, that was fine.

She dug a spare brush out from the small bundle of supplies she’d brought with her. “Okay,” she said. “Then I’ll start high.”

And while they worked, they talked.


End file.
